Coming in at No. 5 in our top 10 St. Louis Blues prospects is a 6-foot-4 physical center in Maddox Dagenais.
As the anticipation for the 2026-27 NHL season grows, TheHockeyNews.com will be taking a look at the top 10 prospects in the St. Louis Blues' system, with towering 6-foot-4 Canadian center Maddox Dagenais coming in at the fifth spot.
The players in this ranking do not have extensive NHL experience and are all 23 and under. Therefore, players like Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Logan Mailloux, among others, won't feature in this ranking for those reasons.
The order of these rankings reflects a mix of their ceilings and potential, as well as how they've performed over the past year with their respective clubs.
Depending on which scout you trust, the Blues either had great value in selecting Dagenais at pick 16 of the 2026 NHL draft, or they reached. Either way, the Blues felt he was their guy, and they snagged him up in the first round.
Heading into the 2026 NHL draft, the Blues felt that center depth in their prospect pool and in their lineup was a weak point. With their first two selections, they grabbed centers Tynan Lawrence and Dagenais, while also trading for 23-year-old Mason McTavish.
Now, the Blues have first-round picks of Robert Thomas, Dalibor Dvorsky, McTavish, Lawrence, and Dagenais within their roster or prospect pool.
But Dagenais brings a different element than all of the aforementioned players. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 196 pounds, Dagenais plays as physically as his frame suggests. Dagenais uses his body very well when shielding the puck. He uses reverse hits to create space and uses his height to protect the puck.
By all accounts, Dagenais is a typical power forward. While his defensive game isn't discussed as much as other aspects of his game, there is plenty of room for growth in that area.
Offensively, the 18-year-old has a heavy shot that he can show off in transition. Despite his size, Dagenais is a powerful skater, using linear crossovers to gain speed.
Dagenais possesses many valuable skills, but patience will be important for his development. Whether he plays two more seasons with the Québec Remparts in the QMJHL and then joins the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL, or moves to the NCAA, allowing Dagenais time to develop his skills and add weight to his frame will be critical to his success.
Trying to predict where Dagenais projects is difficult. If all goes well, Dagenais could become a top-six center, and the hope is that, at worst, Dagenais can become a third-line center.
St. Louis Blues Prospect Rankings:
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